Bishop of Copiapó
Ricardo Morales Galindo was born in San Fernando, Chile, on September 11, 1972. He entered the Order of Mercy in 1997. He professed his first religious vows on March 7, 1999, and made his perpetual profession on June 24, 2005. He was ordained a priest on March 3, 2006, at the Basilica of Mercy. He is a lawyer and holds a Bachelor's degree in Theology and a Licentiate in Education from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where he also obtained a teaching qualification in Philosophy. He holds a Master's degree in Child, Adolescent, and Family Law from Diego Portales University. In the pastoral sphere, he served as pastoral advisor at the San Pedro Nolasco School in Santiago from 2006 to 2007. Within the Order of Mercy, he served as Master of Students from 2008 to 2010. He was also a Provincial Councilor in charge of formation. He taught at the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile between 2008 and 2010. He served as Defender of the Bond and Promoter of Justice at the National Ecclesiastical Court of Appeal between 2006 and 2008. From 2011 to 2018, he served as Provincial Superior of the Order of Mercy in Chile. In June 2018, Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Puerto Montt, a position he held until February 2020. On June 20, 2020, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Copiapó. On September 12, 2020, he was ordained in a ceremony concelebrated by the Archbishop of Santiago, Celestino Aós; the Apostolic Nuncio, Alberto Ortega; and the Auxiliary Bishop of Santiago, Alberto Lorenzelli. at the Cathedral of Copiapó.